Wow, what a gem of a national park with free admission! We began in the visitors center and gift shop, which had a lot of information about the site through displays and videos, offering a variety of perspectives on the Revolutionary war. Then we went into the wooden fort which has many rooms that you can go into. All the staff members we interacted with were friendly and helpful. Highly recommend! read more

Fort Stanwix National Monument - The fort - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Rome, New York

Very nice historical place, centered near downtown Rome. Plenty of parking nearby (the garage was closed). The visitors center, however, was closed during the day of my visit. But luckily, they had passport stamp stations at the entrance of the fort. (Hey, I can't help it, I'm a passport stamp geek!) To get to the reconstructed fort, you gotta walk a short trail with historical markers, which tell the story about the fort. The original fort was built by the British, years before the American Revolution. After it sat for years abandoned and decayed, General George Washington ordered the fort rebuilt in time for the revolution. The fort, of course, was eventually torn down. But decades later thank to FDR and Robert Kennedy, the site was dedicated as a historical monument and the fort was re-constructed. It is not 100% accurate, but historians did the best they could to make it look how it used to be. It is mostly outdoors, but you can go in some of the rooms and check out real historical artifacts. They even have people dressed up from that time period that can answer your questions. Worth the visit! read more

If you are a history buff, you'll love this place. It is a very interesting place. Definitely worth visiting. Street parking is easy to find when we were there on a Saturday afternoon. read more

Fort Stanwix National Monument - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Rome, New York

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Not a bad NPS site. Relatively important revolutionary period events to commemorate. Visitor center is a bit dated but has informative interpretive content. Friendly rangers. Nice junior ranger program. Not a top NPS site, but glad it exists. read more

Great stop if you are in the area. Worth a detour if you are a history buff. We enjoyed our visit and learned a lot not only about the fort, but the area and it's significance as well. This is a very well maintained facility and you can tall there has been a lot of attention to detail. All of this for the low, low cost of free. Stop by and I doubt you'll regret it. read more

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Very impressed with this spot. It's clear that a lot of money and effort was put into the place. They have tours at 10AM and 2PM. I came in slightly too late for the 10AM tour so I wandered through the gorgeous visitor's center looking at the displays and soaking all the information in. Once you pass through the exhibits, you can then take a short walk to the actual fort. I got to the spot just in time to see a musket firing demonstration which was very cool. Super kind staff and a lovely gift shop. read more

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If you enjoy our nation's colonial history, Fort Stanwix is a very worthwhile visit. Administered by the Park Service, Fort Stanwix is a historically accurate recreation of a military post that played a pivotal role during the American Revolution. You can take a self-guided tour that details the fort's history and provides thoughtful biographies of many of the people who played a part in this story. Best of all, at Fort Stanwix visitors get to wander the grounds. You'll enter the main gate by way of a wooden bridge over the moat. You'll see barracks and store rooms, officers' quarters, guard posts, palisades and gun platforms, the fort's hospital and the fort's bomb shelter. The staff are friendly and approachable and go out of their way to provide a thorough tour. The fort is located in downtown Rome, NY, too - good hotels and a variety of good restaurants are within walking distance. We think Fort Stanwix is a wonderful experience for the entire family! read more

Very informative park rangers. Three great short films. The Fort is great for a quick walk through but the Visitors Center and the Guided tour give all the info. A short drive stop to the battlefield is a must. Very close by and you can walk the ravine of the ambush. read more

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The people were so nice and explained everything we wanted to know, the decorations were amazing, there's even games and costumes! At the end of the day they fired a cannon and ended the day with a smile. read more

Really nice recreation of the original fort. Same location. Known as the fort that never surrendered. Very friendly staff. The museum and gift shop area are put together nicely. I got my nephew a small musket. It's super cool! Couple short films you can watch and several pieces on display. Once your done inside venture out to the fort. It's very large. You can go upstairs as well as each room. The rooms consist of kitchen, furs, and shows you example of how different ranks lived amongst the fort. A 20 minute film is in one of the building within the fort. Would be an excellent field trip for school kids. Fun for families too! read more

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Driving the highways and byways of America, I am always on the look out for the brown signs, with white letters, declaring the presence of a historic site at the next exit. Fort Stanwix is one of those places. I'm not really one to go out of my way for military stuff but I've been curious about the fort for a long time. Additionally, a former co-worker is on the management team at the site. I am glad I went. For as interesting as the fort is, the Willet Center makes the experience so worthwhile and rich. As is so often the case, the site has many fascinating stories to tell. The area was a significant portage between Finger Lakes; it was important in the French and Indian war and saw action in America's war of Independence. It was a place that had me thinking about the military actions our nation is engaged in today; people and governments making decisions that shape both personal journey's and a nation's history. Although the museum was thought provoking, the reconstruction of the Fort brought it all to life. Although surrounded by the trappings of central Rome today, it was the American outback 250 years ago...life was tough! So, as one that is NOT a fan of military history, Fort Stanwix is still worth the trip! read more

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I'm a volunteer historical interpreter (reenactor) for the Saratoga National Historical Park and our group was invited to participate in an annual encampment event on Veteran's Day weekend out at Ft. Stanwix National Monument. We spent the weekend in this amazing fort and slept in the historic Visiting Officer's Quarters in the North Casement Wall. The entire weekend was an immersion in colonial history as we stayed in our colonial uniforms, ate period food and even cooked over the hearth in the officers quarters using only candles for light at night. No real modern amenities other than the latrines (thankfully). We performed inspections and drills with the other reenactor soldiers and I participated with the firing demonstrations on the cannon crew. While there, we got an amazing behind the scenes tour from a couple of the site's Rangers of the entire fort, even areas that are never open to the public. It's really a very impressive reproduction of the historic fort and the modern construction that was necessary to make the fort a reality in modern times, is really concealed well and will ensure the fort and it's history survive for generations to come. The National Park Service Rangers that work here are all extremely knowledgeable about the history and the fort here and are more than happy to share that knowledge with visitors. I highly recommend this place for anyone with an interest in history and the role local places like this made in the founding of our great country. read more

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This place was awesome! I took a break from a derby tournament to stop by here and read some signs, and step into some American Revolutionary shit. There was even a guy dressed up like a soldier, showing kids his gun (uhh). But really, it was cool. There were shots, muskets, cannons. We weren't in the part of the fort where they were doing this, so we didn't see it, but we sure could hear it, and it sounded cool. There was a little room that was like a museum within in the fort (and an actual museum outside- We didn't see this). It's free- if you have a chance, go check it out! read more

Fort Stanwix National Monument - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Rome, New York

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We were in town for a baseball clinic and it ended early so we were looking for things to do and found this wonderful fort to explore. The best part? It is free admission! The woman working the front desk however was not very friendly. She acted like she was so bored working there and hated her life. Talk about Debbie Downer times 500. We wanted to get far from her negativity so we went off exploring. Once we walked to the fort we were taught how to load a cannon and learned why there were spikes on the gate. Great history all around. read more

Fort Stanwix National Monument - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Rome, New York

My boys loved this place! They explored the past for hours without a single complaint. We watched some cool films at the Willett Center where I learned just as much as they did, but it was in the fort compound where things came alive and the kids really enjoyed experiencing 18th century military life. It was an interactive, hands on adventure that sparked creativity while walking, running and climbing the grounds. When in Rome ... I highly recommend this stop for history buffs and children alike. We were there during the week ... apparently it gets even better with living history demonstrations on weekends as you can see from other people's photos. read more

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We took a tour and it was frigid cold at the fort but very interesting and educational. Visitor center was built in 2005 - although this site, if I heard the ranger correctly, was designated as a national historic site back in the 1930's! But I think it took until 1960's until they managed to reconstruct the fort fully. The wooden structure looks very well and strong today. A very nice job. The fort is found in the middle of the upstate city of Rome - I was thinking this would be out in nowhere, so I was surprised to find the site in the middle of a town. I want to visit again in summertime. I heard there will be more costumed staff and more events. It's a little out of way from many things but definitely worth a visit if you are in the area. And like most national parks, thanks to the one of the best-est ways tax dollar is utilized, free admission. Awesome! Sometimes I wish I could designate how my tax will be used - less for bombers and drones and more for National Park Service, and for medical and other support services for veterans. read more

I'm a big fan of the National Parks Service. Whenever I'm on vacation, I'm generally always ticking a few NPS sites off my list (this was #74). Fort Stanwix impressed me. The site was well staffed with knowledgeable and friendly employees and volunteers. The interpretive displays were very modern, thoughtfully designed, immersive, and engaging. I hate to admit it, but I'm usually bored by history, but I was drawn right in at Fort Stanwix. I was intrigued to hear stories of the area through a variety of perspectives, recreated from artifacts and accounts. The fort itself (or the recreation of the fort) was very impressive to behold. It sported well maintained earthworks, pointy parapets, and an imposing drawbridge. It was clear that this park must be well loved by the locals, and deservedly so. I thought it was a pleasant and edifying way to spend a day. read more

An extremely important part of the history of the region as well as the history of new york state. If you are from new york state then this is a must see. if you are a fan of the history of the country leading up to the revolution then this is a must see for you as well. But for everyone else it is a very nice exhibit explaining how a fort operates but there are so many other forts that have been preserved this one is no more unique than the others. read more

The National Park Service has so many great places besides the iconic spots and this is one of them. A National Monument that goes unnoticed to most, but is apart of a small park for visitors to explore and learn a little more about the Great American History. Has some great fall colors and the staff were super knowledgeable and friendly. read more

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I have grown up visiting the fort and I brought my family for the first time today. The kids lived it and learned alot. There was even more attractions and information than when I was a kid. read more

This was an interesting rebuild of the original fort. Free was a nice surprise as well. The visitors center was very well done and the movie was great, though we found more videos on YouTube.com that better explained the purpose for the Fort. We were expecting to see a few actors in the Fort but maybe they only have some on certain days, I don't know, but we were found by a State Park Ranger who tried to be helpful (in his barking tone). Would be a very cool place if there were actors/reinactors to talk with. read more